it carlow claim first cufl premier division title

16 February 2011

IT Carlow claimed their first CUFL Premier Division title with a 3-1 victory over ITT Dublin tonight at Whaitehall.

by Niall Farrell Wed, Feb 16 2011

IT Carlow claimed their first ever CUFL Premier Division title with a 3-1 win over IT Tallaght on Wednesday night in a rain-soaked Whitehall.

Both sides had Airtricity League players in the starting teams, and all four goals were scored by players currently with AIrtricity League clubs. For Carlow, Shane Tracy (Limerick), Jamie Carr (Athlone Town) and Raymond Foy (Finn Harps) scored, while David Webster of Bray Wanderers scored ITT's only goal of the match.

Except for the opening twenty minutes, Carlow were dominant. Both sides struggled to cope with the wet conditions early on, with neither really stamping their mark on the match. The first clear chance came after 21 minutes, with Carlow 'keeper Michael Schlingermann just tipping a free from Craig Rothery over the crossbar.

From then on, it was all IT Carlow. Shane Tracy was the focal point of their attack, and shot into the arms of ITT 'keeper Conor Hogan on 27 minutes. Two minutes later Carlow had a penalty claim denied after Adam Hanlon was fouled yards from goal by ITT captain David Vickery.

Carlow's goal did come though, and it seemed as if it was always going to be Shane Tracy who scored it. On 31 minutes Ben Ryan shot at goal, only for Hogan to slice his clearance to the waiting Tracy on the outside left of the ITT penalty area. Tracy then volleyed the ball superbly with his left foot to open the scoring for Carlow.

The momentum was with Carlow, and they threatened again a minute after the goal- Jamie Carr almost scoring from close range. They did get a second goal before half time- with Raymond Foy scoring after 38 minutes, Ben Ryan's low cross was allowed to cut across the ITT penalty area, and Foy had an easy finish in the end.

Tallaght enjoyed a brief resurgence early in the second half, but it wasn't long before Carlow were back in control. Craig Wall nearly scored for the Carlovians on 56 minutes, but his shot was cleared off the ITT line after he beat the 'keeper.

Jamie Carr got the third after an extended period of Carlow pressure three minutes later. Shane Tracy was again at the heart of the goal, drafting in a corner for Carr to latch on to. Carr headed the ball against Hogan, but was able to finish at the second attempt with a simple poke past the ITT 'keeper.

ITT restored some hope four minutes later, with David Webster scoring on 63 minutes. The Bray full-back took a free on the edge of the Carlow area and was able to split the wall- beating ITC 'keeper Schlingermann with a low, powerful shot.

Tallaght pressed hard for more goals in the closing stages of the match, but lacked creativity. Long balls to Longford striker Don Cowan were their favoured method of attack, but the wet conditions made the ball tough for Cowan to hold up and control.

The frustration was noticeable in the Tallaght side, and captain David Vickery received a second yellow card on 81 minutes for lashing out at a Carlow player. Tallaght had a few half-chances before the final whistle, but ultimately it was Carlow's day.

IT Tallaght0 - 1IT Carlow38' - Tallaght living dangerously in the wake of that goal. Carr almost hit in another goal from close range for ITC after a slew of chances.

IT Tallaght0 - 1IT Carlow35' - Tracy with a smashing goal there. Ryan shot first, but Hogan's clearance was fluffed, and found Tracy 25 yards out on the left. Tracy then volleyed home superbly on his left.

IT Tallaght0 - 1IT Carlow34' -Goal - AND CARLOW MAKE GOOD ON THEIR DOMINANCE! SHANE TRACY!

IT Tallaght0 - 0IT Carlow31' - Carlow having a good spell of dominance in the last 5 minutes.

IT Tallaght0 - 0IT Carlow0' - The clash between IT Tallaght and IT Carlow is due to start in just under 10 minutes. We will have the team line-ups shortly. We welcome your twitter and facebook comments if you wish to comment on the game.